Sir Mark Tully released Subir Bhaumik's Troubled Periphery

Kolkata, 16 November : The eminent BBC journalist Sir Mark Tully has released a book titled ‘Troubled Periphery : Crisis of India’s North East’, which has been authored by the senior BBC journalist Subir Bhaumik and published by Sage, today in Kolkata.
Inaugurating the book, Padma Bhusan Mark Tully commented that the Indians in general should go through the book to know more about the troubled northeastern part of India, and the Northeasterns themselves should study it to understand their problems in a better way. After the inauguration in a very interesting interactive sessions, Bhaumik strongly criticized the corrupt politician of north eastern states. Subir Bhaumik hypnotized the entire distinguished guests by his usual bold discussions.
The inauguration ceremony witnessed the attendance of many distinguished personalities like Tripura Rajmata Bibhu Devi, former British minister Ian Macartney, US consulate-general Beth Payne, UK deputy high commissioner Sanjay Wadhwani, Chinese consulate-general Mao Siwei, Sage vice-president Dr Sugato Ghosh etc. All honoured guests were felicitated with the traditional Asomiya Ghamchas. န Photos : Indrajit Dutta

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Bangladesh : ponds ’caused arsenic’ contamination, MIT study says
Wash Asia Blog, 16 November : Man-made ponds may be responsible for widespread arsenic contamination of ground water affecting millions of people in Bangladesh, a new study says.
Researchers in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering believe they have pinpointed a pathway by which arsenic may be contaminating the drinking water in Bangladesh, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists, world health agencies and the Bangladeshi government for nearly 30 years.... READ FULL STORY

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6 courts set up to try BDR mutineers
Dhaka, 16 November : The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has set up six special courts - two in Dhaka and four outside the capital to try hundreds of mutineers who killed 74 people in February.
BDR chief director general, Brig. Mohammed Mainul Islam, will chair the three-member courts being constituted under the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972, New Age newspaper reported. The two other members on each of the six special courts will be a lieutenant colonel and a major, who are from the army and deputed to the border guards. Representatives of the attorney general will assist the special courts. The BDR chief Sunday told New Age : "The procedure for the trial of the BDR mutiny has started with the institution of the special courts."
The six special courts will only try the BDR troopers accused of mutiny they staged 25-26 February, posing the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government that had taken office four weeks earlier.

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WB Govt determined to bring industries in Singur

Maoists and TMC working together : Buddhadeb

Kolkata, 16 November : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday reiterated his stand that the Trinamool Congress was working hand in hand with the Maoists in the state.
“I’ve specific information about those Trinamool workers who are working with the Maoists. I know many Trinamool Congress activists who are helping the Maoists in Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts,” Bhattacharjee said while addressing a Left Front rally here. He said: “I advise them (Trinamool Congress) not to help these Maoists. It’s better if they can avoid them.”
The chief minister also said that the Left Front government in the state was determined to bring industries in Hooghly district’s Singur. “We’ll set up industry in collaboration with the centre there. I know it’s a difficult task but we’ll move forward,” Bhattacharjee said.

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9 killed & over 50 others injured as buses collide in Tangail

Tangail, 16 November : At least nine people including two women and a child were killed and over 50 others injured in a road accident on Dhaka-Tangail highway in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail.
Police and witnesses said the accident occurred at Kadim Dhalla when a Jamalpur-bound passenger bus from Dhaka collided head on with a Dhaka-bound passenger bus from Tangail around 3:30pm(BDST). The accident left five passengers including two women dead on the spot. After the accident, locals and police started a rescue operation. They sent the injured to Jamurki Health Complex and Kumudini Hospital where four passengers succumbed to their injuries one at Jamurki Health Complex while three at Kumudini Hospital, police said. Habibullah Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Mirzapur Police Station, said the accident occurred due to reckless driving when one bus tried to overtake the other.

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Both CPIM, Trinamool misusing funds : Kabir Suman

Kolkata, 16 November : Noted Bengali singer Kabir Suman, who is now a Trinamool Congress MP, has said that he did not see any difference between West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) and the opposition in misusing funds allocated for development work, causing much embarrassment to his party.
"I don't see any difference between the CPI(M) and the opposition parties in misusing funds allocated for the development of the poor. Everyone is concerned about their own political gain and nothing else," Suman said during the launch of a Bengali daily, Adivasi Sangbad, at Kolkata Press Club Sunday evening. Terming himself a "party slave", the newly elected Lok Sabha member said: "Don't call me an MP. I am not a political person. I joined politics responding to the call of a mass movement. "I will be very happy if my Lok Sabha membership is cancelled. I will also be happy if I don't have to contest any further Lok Sabha elections," the singer said, lashing out at the ways of all mainstream political parties.
"People should raise thousands of questions as to why there's no development. I can say from my personal experience in South 24-Parganas district that there's no development," said Suman, who trounced CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty from Kolkata's Jadavpur constituency in the April-May general elections.

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Security tight in B'desh ahead of Mujib verdict
AFP, Dhaka, 16 November : Bangladeshi authorities have stepped up security in the capital ahead of a court verdict expected this week over the murder of the country's founding president more than three decades ago.
The convicted killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was gunned down in his home with 20 members of his household in 1975, are appealing the case, which has been in limbo for more than seven years since an appeal was first lodged. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned of possible unrest following the court ruling and the case was heard amid tight security. READ FULL STORY

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N Bengal's 94.3 FM Radio Misty completes two years
Siliguri, 16 November : Radio Misty 94.3 fm, the First and Number one Fm station of North Bengal has completed two years. It was exactly two years ago, when North Bengal became sweet with Radio Misty. With BBC and Radio Netherlands worldwide as partners Radio Misty is known for its unique and innovative programming and Music Content.
Radio Misty celebrations on air started with listeners coming to studios of Radio Misty with flowers and cakes. Radio Misty celebrated this day with children’s at Anubhav-creche for mentally challenged children’s at siliguri.Misty team celebrated with music and fun with this children’s. Lunch was hosted for these children’s by Radio Misty .Gifts were disturbed to children’s.
Mayor of siliguri municipal corporation Gangtori Dutta, Member of Parliament suraj pathak, Darjeeling DM surendra Gupta with people from all walks of life joined on air to wish Radio Misty. Radio Misty listeners’ broke record with sending maximum numbers of sms to wish happy birthday to Radio Misty.

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Grameenphone share trading begins in both bourses
Dhaka, 16 November : Share trading of the country's largest issue Grameenphone (GP) begins today in both the bourses Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE).
Lottery draw for the share allotment of the GP was held on 29 October. GP's initial public offering (IPO) subscriptions opened on 4 October and closed on 8 October for locals. Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) had until 18 October to subscribe. Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission cleared the IPO of the GP on 20 August. Norway's telecom giant Telenor owns 62 per cent of Grameenphone, launched in 1997, while the local Grameen Telecom owns the rest.

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"BESU" proposes to set up green technology park

Howrah, 16 November : The Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) has proposed a Rs 20-crore green technology park to be built at Shibpur in Howrah. Spread over 100 acres, the main academic block and various air-conditioning systems of the university will run on alternative sources of energy.
BESU Vice-Chancellor Ajoy Kumar Ray recently met Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and discussed the proposal with him. “If the proposal is accepted, the university will be one its kind to have an integrated centre for research in green technology a feat unachieved as yet by any university offering technical education in the country,” said the V-C, adding that he has received a positive response from the Centre.
The proposed Green Centre will have a multi-disciplinary approach to green energy research and will offer MTech courses in green energy, sensor science and technology in addition to industry-oriented short-term training courses.

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Maoists kidnap five in Jhargram, release three other
PTI, Kolkata, 16 November : A gram panchayat member and a former CPI(M) functionary were among five persons abducted by suspected Maoists near Jhargram in West Midnapore district, police said today.
They said five persons, including Khudiram Mudi, member of Makikpara gram panchayat, and Ajit Mahato, former CPI(M) branch secretary of Lalgeria in Jhargram sub-division, were taken away by 25 armed Maoists last night to the Nuniakudri jungle. The three other persons abducted were later released unharmed.

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Tripura-Mizoram border tense after Mizo youth death

Agartala, 16 Nonembetr : Tension gripped Tripura’s northern boundary with Mizoram following the murder of a Mizo (Lushai) youth in the neighboring state.
Mizo villagers alleged that Mizo youth was killed by cadres belonging to the Bru National Liberation Front a virtually-defunct outfit that had once sought to fight for the displaced Reangs. A leaflet, purportedly written by the BNLF, was found near the youth’s body that was lying at Laxmicherra, about four km from the inter-state boundary on Saturday. As news spread, tension spread like wildfire in the adjoining Mizoram villages and about hundreds of Mizo youths, armed with lethal weapons, tried to enter Tripura to attack Reang camps at Damcherra. Police immediately swung into action and put in place a massive security blanket all around Damcherra. The Mizo youths then turned their fury to Reang villages in Mizoram and set afire some houses belonging to the Brus.
North Tripura SP Deepak Kumar is keeping a watch on the situation and supervising security arrangements. The 14 battalion of Assam Rifles has been put on high alert. Battalion commandant Col Ratnakar Dwibedi visited the area and asked the villagers to maintain peace and tranquility.

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